Photographing reflections can be a great way to add interest to your images. When you have a shot of both a subject and their reflection, it helps emphasize the subject. In some cases you might want to make the reflection itself a subject. And reflections can also work well for abstract photography.
Dynamic Serenity by papalars on flickr (licensed CC-BY-ND)
Post processing describes the act of editing a photo. Making adjustments to the color, contrast, sometimes to the crop. In fact the adjustments that can be made are practically limitless. It is known as post processing since it is carried out after (post) the image was captured.
i don't know but today seems kinda odd by spaceabstract on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
Making adjustments to each image you take might seem like it would take a long time (and depending on the adjustments, it can). So you might be wondering if there is some way to apply post processing to your photos automatically. That would cut down on a lot of work for you. So, is this possible?
Read the rest of this entry »Many cameras allow you to screw a filter onto the end of the lens to achieve a certain effect. For example, one of the most popular filters is the polarizing filter, used to reduce reflections and glare, and to enhance colors and contrast in landscape photography.
When you purchase a filter, you need to make sure that it comes with the correct size threads to screw onto your camera's lens. Different cameras and lenses have different filter thread sizes, and filters are also available in a wide range of different sizes.
The problem comes when you have a filter in one size, but your lens has a filter thread of a different size. This can easily happen when you upgrade from one camera to another, or if you buy more than one lens. To solve this, you can use stepping rings.
Pile of step up and step down rings
Most of us don't live in areas surrounded by beautiful vistas. We don't have a list of models (or willing friends / family) that are happy to pose for use whenever we feel like some portrait photography. And you might feel that you don't really have anything interesting around you worth photographing at all.
While a beautiful location or model can make getting a great photo easier, they're certainly not essential. In this article we'll look at taking great photos of boring subjects.
Read the rest of this entry »What lens should I buy?
is probably one of the most commonly asked photography questions by those with interchangeable lens cameras. Unlike cameras, where differences between different models tend to be fairly minor, the differences between lenses can be quite large.
Lenses can be quite expensive as well, sometimes you may pay more for a new lens than you do for the camera itself. While you may replace your camera body in the future, lenses don't often get outdated, and so should be considered more of a long term investment in your photography. So it is a good idea to think about whether you really need a particular lens before splashing out on it.
Camera and two lens kit
Ultimately, what lens to buy can only be decided by you. A good lens kit depends on the kind of subjects you like photographing, your budget, and even your style of photography. However, there are a number of things you can think about to help you in making a decision that will provide the most Bang for your buck.
Read the rest of this entry »Program mode is available on most digital cameras, and is often indicated by a 'P' symbol. It is a mostly automatic shooting mode, but allows more control over the camera's functions than fully automatic or simple modes.
Clean white backgrounds can work well for some images, particularly product photography. There are two different ways that a white background is normally achieved:
However, there can be a bit of a problem if you only have one light to work with. If you use your light to blow out the background to pure white, then how are you going to light your subject? And vice versa if you use the light to light your subject.
Thankfully Photoshop (or most other image editing programs) can come to the rescue.
Read the rest of this entry »When you take a photo of a landscape, it's not too difficult to get everything from a few feet in front of you all the way to the horizon in focus. But as you get closer to your subject and the magnification level increases, the depth of field (amount of the image in focus) rapidly drops off.
In macro and close-up photography, depth of field is so narrow it is usually measured in millimeters. So taking photos where more than just a thin sliver of the image is in focus can be tricky.
The depth of field in this image covers just a small part of the butterfly's mustache
Diopter or close-up lenses are a good way to add macro / close-up ability to your current photography gear. They work by screwing or clipping on to the front of your camera's lens, and decrease the minimum focusing distance. This allows you to move your camera closer to the subject, and achieve higher magnification photos.
Livin' on the edge by Fountain_Head on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
These close-up lenses work with all cameras where the lens has a filter thread. So they will work with virtually all interchangeable lens camera lenses, and most bridge and advanced compact cameras that have built-in lenses. With some cameras that have an integrated lens, you may need to purchase an accessory tube that attaches to the lens to provide a filter thread that the close-up lens can then be screwed into.
Read the rest of this entry »Continuing our look at different methods for capturing macro and close-up photographs, in this article I want to look at extension tubes and bellows. Both of these methods are only applicable for cameras with interchangeable lenses, as they sit between the lens and the camera.
They both work the same way, by extending the lens away from the camera body, the minimum focusing distance of the lens decreases. You can then get closer to your subject, and get some great macro photos.
Emerge by aussiegall on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
